the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has for the second time handed...

the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has for the second time handed Raymond DeLeon Martinez a chance to avoid execution. Martinez, 61, was condemned for the July 1983 murder-robbery of Herman Chavis.
In a unanimous ruling, the court invalidated Martinez's 1989 death sentence and remanded the case to the trial court for another punishment hearing. If Martinez is sentenced to life, he would be eligible for parole consideration.
The court found that state District Judge Bob Burdette's charge to the jurors in 1989 failed to provide them with a vehicle for considering possible mitigating evidence, specifically Martinez's history of mental illness.
The ruling marks the second time the high court has intervened on Martinez's behalf. In 1988, the court overturned his 1984 capital murder conviction and ordered a new trial, citing irregularities in jury selection.